Attack On Titan: The Musical!
by Christoph Andretti
Summary: Eren Yeager is an angry, neurotic, and somewhat insane teenager living in post-breakup depression and spiraling grades. However, after an untimely death, opportunity comes knocking in the form of the Trost High Drama Club. Thrusted in the Director's chair, he must now write and direct a musical production with roughly ten equally neurotic actors. Or suffer Levi's wrath. AU!
1. Chapter 1

Eren was squashed between a rock and a hard place.

By a rock, he meant his current academic record. And by hard place, he meant the short, black-haired man boring at him from across the brown desk. Here he was again. All they did was sit here and stare at each other for thirty minutes anyway. Why would this time be any different? Didn't Levi hate him and this job? There was no reason for him to break into his coffee time by having him in this cramped grey office for another advisement.

Eren sighed. He wouldn't be able to plead the fifth this time.

"You know, I'll admit that I'm not the most relaxed kid my age," Eren said. "I guess I yell a little more than other people. But that's gonna be great in the future, because I can project my voice. That's the best thing about me. My voice. Although I think I'm athletic enough. More so than some guys around here."

"So none of the girls here are athletic?" Levi asked while rolling his eyes.

Eren looked up at the tall bookcase almost touching the desk. The oak tower held the rainbow of spines dotting the shelves. It was probably the only source of comfort Levi got during the day, Eren noted pitifully. He shifted his gaze back to Levi, who was still as a statue while glaring at him. "I mean, they're a lot of girls in this school that are good fighters. They kind of emasculate a lot of guys here, though. Sometimes, I still think Armin is a girl. And I mean that in the best way possible. If I was gay, he would be the first person I'd go to."

"To get head or something like that?"

"You know, I think that about half the stuff you say in these sessions are borderline illegal for you to say to me.'"

"I'm just hoping that you don't become a future prostitute. I heard you're quite promiscuous."

Eren straightened up in his seat and narrowed his eyes at Levi. "I'll have you know that I am still a virgin."

"I bet Annie would say otherwise."

Eren sat up straighter. "Annie hates you, too, you know."

Levi held his finger up and looked down. He reached towards the golden handle on one of his desk drawers. With a grunt, he thrusted open a drawer on his mahogany desk. He shuffled through the papers and files littering the floor of the large drawer. He pulled out a flyer. With a flourish, he shoved it in Eren's direction.

When Eren grabbed it, he first noticed he big gold letters at the top of the large flyer. Then, he looked down at the picture. On the cover was a large group of people dressed in various colorful uniforms. It appeared to be a wartime drama of some sort. The large spotlights outlined their silhouettes. Behind them, a massive crowd was standing up and had their hands frozen in mid-clap.

Eren furrowed his eyebrows. "You want me to join the drama club?"

Levi rolled his eyes again. "Not really. But you said you liked your voice."

"So I have to join the drama club now," Eren commented.

Levi closed the drawer with a quick slam. "I honestly don't care if you join it or not. But you have to join something. You just don't seem to have any ambition at the moment."

"I am very ambitious. Just not about anything realistic."

"Is that why you still want to be an astronaut?"

"Are we done here?" Eren asked loudly.

Levi nodded. Eren heaved himself out of the swivel chair and picked up his red backpack at his feet. He flung it onto his shoulders and turned towards the opaque wooden door. He reached for the freezing golden doorknob.

"You should do it."

Eren did not bat an eye as he ignored Levi's voice and pushed his way out into the hallway.

* * *

><p>Mikasa Ackerman swung her legs on the brown bench in front of the green pear tree. The sun was stamped on the blue canvas above while the crisp late autumn wind blew through her thick ebony hair.<p>

A few other people were littered around the small meadow overlooking the track field of Trost High School in the suburban area. However, as she fumbled with the soft silk of the red scarf wrapped around her neck, her grey eyes shifted towards a specific person jogging up towards her.

Some thought it was creepy how Mikasa was always around Eren. Some thought it was sweet. Regardless, the two were like hot glue and paper.

Eren crunched the growing mint-toned grass. He looked at her with a small frown., almost as if a fly was zooming around his head. He sat next to her.

"Should I join the Drama club?"

Mikasa looked at Eren and met his dark green eyes. She contemplated as she noticed her dull reflection in them. "What?"

"The Drama Club. In my meeting with Levi, he said he wanted me to do something. And I said that since the accident, I didn't feel like doing anything. But then he pulled the 'I'm better than you and I know everything about you' card and said I needed to do something."

"Why?"

"So I don't pull a Marco, I guess."

Mikasa smacked Eren on his shoulder. "Don't say that out loud. Jean is right over there."

Eren followed Mikasa's outstretched finger to the bottom of the gentle hill, where Jean Kirchstein was chatting with a member of the track team that was practicing.

Eren groaned. "That just made my day worse."

Mikasa sighed. "He's not that bad."

"You know what else wasn't bad once? Marco, until he joined that street gang."

"You're losing your touch if that's the best you could come up with."

Eren felt a small shiver of surprise trickle down his spine as he turned to meet the steel blue eyes of a blonde-haired girl with a ponytail. With reverence, he crossed his arms and turned to her.

"Hello, Ex."

"My name is Annie, Eren. And if you're going to make fun of Marco's death, at least be funny. That's what Connie is doing."

Eren smirked. "Okay, Annie, what are you doing here?"

"Not getting back with you, if that's what you're asking. Although one night stands are still a possibility."

Mikasa stood up and faced her. "Shut up. He still has bruises from where you hit him last month," Mikasa said loudly.

Eren gasped. "Mikasa! Don't say that," he said before turning back to Annie. "I didn't get any bruises."

Annie smirked. "Whatever. As much as I like seeing you in breakup denial, or is it breakup mourning? Anyway, Armin told me that his phone died, so he needed me to tell you all to not wait for him after school."

Eren tilted his head. "Why not?"

Annie snorted. "Are you serious? What do you mean 'why not?'"

Eren walked closer to Annie. "I mean, why is he after school?"

Mikasa stood up and put a hand on Eren's shoulder, causing him to turn around. "He's at the Drama Club tryouts. He's only been talking about it all month."

Eren, with his mouth slightly agape, whipped around towards Annie. Her small grin infuriated him to no end. It was so smug and annoying and powerful and incredibly hot on her. Although he wouldn't be saying that last part out loud any time soon.

"BFFs, huh?" She asked sarcastically.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I've been busy being depressed and crying my eyeballs out from this breakup I had early in the month," Eren said with a loud, sarcastic voice.

"So you do still care about me? I'll write it in my diary if you write it in yours."

Eren froze. "You said you wouldn't tell anybody about my diary."

"I didn't. I just texted Sasha and Connie about it. I'm sure they'll make of it what they will."

Eren's shoulders slumped down in defeat. He let out another warm sigh into the cooling air. "But he was my ride home. And I'm not going on the bus."

"Why?" Mikasa asked.

"Germs."

"Levi is starting to rub off on you," Annie said with her snotty smirk rising. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was rubbing off with you in other ways."

"We both know that's not true. And I have to find Armin, anyway. We still have that presentation to work out. I'll see you later, Annie."

"No kiss goodbye?"

If Eren was not such a gentleman, he would have snapped on her any second. As is, just seeing Jean's face made him want to do that already. He started to tread down the hill. Mikasa followed behind him. They appeared to be there much longer than usual. They normally left in the middle of lunch, not at the very end. It was a decent change of pace, though.

As he looked forward at the building, he did start to feel a little sad. For as headstrong and raucous as he could be, there was some truth in his words. It almost seemed like Annie was dangling it in front of him like a dog's chew toy.

He absent-mindedly grabbed onto the straps of his backpack. Inside it was more graded papers scorched with red corrective ink; all of which slashed Eren's hopes of having a decent Grade Point Average. His parents would give him another earful, but he just couldn't care as much.

The only real sources of comfort at this point were Mikasa and Armin. Although, he was glad the lines of communication were still open with Annie. They had known each other too long to completely ignore each other after the events beforehand.

Then again, he was forced to deal with a number of people he did not want to see. Cue Levi and Jean.

However, as he walked to confront Armin, he had little foresight into what he was walking into.

An escape.

A catharsis.

A headache.

An opportunity.

And it all started with the push of the door into the Drama Club room.

Where he saw Armin kissing Jean Kirschtein.

* * *

><p><strong>Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to my debut in this realm. I am very happy to bring this to you. All I require for this story to be a successful and enjoyable experience to yourselves and others is the simple task of reviewing. Nice, constructive reviews as well, please. Not just "its kewl" reviews. Use common sense.<strong>

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	2. Chapter 2

"What the fuck are you doing?" Eren shouted.

Armin jumped away from Jean's lips. A loud squeak came from him as he saw the fuming brunette charging towards the stage in the dark auditorium. Running down the lit steps, Eren began to climb up towards the stage.

As he leapt onto the wooden platform, Jean held his arms out. "Stop Yeager."

"Like hell I will."

"Stop it, brat."

Eren froze in his hot tracks towards Jean and looked out at the empty auditorium. Sitting behind a white curtained table was Levi who was shrouded by the dark seats behind him.

"What are you doing here, Levi?" Eren asked.

Levi stood up and walked to the steps. "It's Mister Ackerman to you," he said, jostling up the wooden steps. "And I'm the faculty advisor, just so you know."

Eren sneered and looked towards Levi. The lithe teacher joined the distraught Armin and Jean on the stage. "And if you must know," Levi added. "These two were auditioning for the Club."

"And in what universe does that include kissing each other?" Eren asked loudly.

"Well, Yeager, we were using an excerpt from Marco's last play, _I'm Not Gay_," Jean said with an annoyed expression on his face.

"He wrote that? That's a real play?" Eren asked. "I thought that was all you."

Levi held Jean back just as he started to charge Eren.

Meanwhile, another kid with a buzzcut and wide brown eyes popped his head through the break in the velvet curtains. "Are they in? We need to kn-. Oh, hey. Didn't know Eren was trying out."

Eren scoffed. "I'm not, Connie. I just wanted to make sure horseface wasn't sexually harassing Armin."

"You're a little late for that. They already kissed."

"Connie, go backstage. The adults are talking," Jean shouted.

"You're still a hormonal brat, kid. Get your facts straight," Levi said. Then, the shorter man turned to Eren. "And can we stop with the namecalling. Jean is kind of sensitive right now."

"I am not," Jean shouted.

Armin stepped out in front of Jean and Levi and walked over to Eren. The angry boy watched as the blonde-haired teenager approached him.

"Yes, Armin?"

"Listen. The Club has been through a lot in the past month. Can you try not to cause any more mental breakdowns?"

"You've had enough of those by yourself anyway," Jean said with a snicker.

Mikasa decided to climb up to the stage from the black depths of the audience seating. When she approached Jean, she pointed at him with a skinny finger. "Don't make fun of him."

Jean sighed. "He's making fun of me, babe."

Eren's eye twitched. It was no secret that Jean had a crush on Mikasa. That was how Eren thought about it, at least. Just a small, stupid crush from an annoying idiot.

"Don't call her 'babe.'" Eren shouted.

Armin hushed him. "Please, Eren. I want to be in a play."

"If there is one," Connie said from behind the curtain.

Levi turned his head towards the back. "Shut up. No one asked you."

Eren nodded his head. "You know what? I think Levi was the perfect fit for this. But what did Connie mean by that?"

Levi left Jean's side to stand in the middle of the stage. The lights pressed down on the wooden stage. The heat radiated onto their shoulders, causing the energy to make it hot just standing there. Eren couldn't imagine a whole play under the scorching lights. "Why do you care?"

Eren shrugged. "If Armin's involved, I just wanna know."

Levi rolled his eyes. "Well, after Marco died, we decided to retire _I'm Not Gay_. We just couldn't do it without him."

"He wrote it and everything. He was gonna be the lead. He was our star player."

Eren nodded. "So he was like the starting pitcher for the play."

"Yup." Jean said quietly.

"And I assume you were the catcher?"

Jean's face contorted into unbridled rage. He walked briskly towards Eren. Before he could reach him, Levi held out his arms and kept the burly boy at bay. Jean tried to push his way through, but Levi held firm like the brick wall backstage.

"Say that again, bitch." Jean shouted.

"Do not curse in front of me. This is a peaceful organization," Levi said. Then, he looked back at the smirking Eren. "Stop antagonizing everyone, brat. What are you even doing here anymore. Just go home and masturbate like everyone else."

Eren exhaled a deep breath. "But what about your little play? What're you gonna do?"

Armin looked back at Eren. "We're gonna buy the rights to this new play from some guy in Japan. Worse case scenario, we'll do _Wicked _again."

"I hate _Wicked_." Eren said.

Armin crossed her arms at her chest. "Eren, if that's true, I don't think I can know you anymore."

"Very funny. Why don't you all write a new play?"

"Marco was the best writer in the school," Jean said. Levi lowered his arms as Jean regained his composure. With all eyes on him, he looked around at the small group on the stage. Mikasa was behind him, looking on at the scene like an owl hovering over a snake on the ground. Eren was exasperated on the overheating stage. Levi still looked bored and annoyed as ever. However, Jean looked up at the ceiling.

"He was the best writer," Jean said quietly. "We can't do it without him."

Jean's eyes started to water.

Eren frowned and walked up to him. Levi stayed between them, making sure no physical contact occurred. That would be a mountain of paperwork he did not want to complete.

Eren stared at Jean. The droplets of saline threatened to leak out of the taller teenager's eyes. "Look," Eren said. "I know you're all obsessed with Marco and how amazing he was, but you shouldn't just not perform because he isn't here."

Jean sniffled. "We can't stage something without him. There's no way."

Eren looked back at Armin. The blonde-haired boy appeared confused at Eren's unreadable expression.

"It's true," Armin stated. "The rights cost way too much, and we need something to perform. And none of us can write a whole play."

"Why?"

"Life. It gets in the way." Levi said.

Jean, who was still battling his emotions, smeared the liquid from his eyes and blinked rapidly. "Why the hell do you care, Yeager?" He said in a shaky tone.

Eren licked his lips. "Because I could do it."

Levi tried desperately to stifle laughter. He let out a choking gargle through the thick air on the platform. The small group looked at him. Then, he turned to Eren.

"What?"

Levi returned to his stoic expression. "Why would you write an entire play?"

"Because," Eren said. "If Marco could do it, I could do it."

"So it's a pride thing." Levi said.

"That, and you all need a play. I can do it. I have more time on my hands than you all. And you would get to make sure I don't cause trouble. It's a win-win."

Jean coughed. "And what's in it for you?"

"I write and direct everything."

"Do you know how to direct a show?" Mikasa asked.

"In fact, I played the sheep in a production of _Mother Goose _when I was five. I know a couple of things."

Levi contemplated the situation. Hardly anybody else had the energy or time to do this. Not only that, but Eren was right. He would have something to do, and it would look better for his future. Not that he cared about the brat's future. But, he prided himself on being good at his job (albeit, one he has had for a month). It makes sense that he would at least want to say he made one slacker succeed at something. It would look good on his resume.

"Do you all really want to do _Wicked_ again?" Eren asked.

"Okay, fine. If you really want to, you can give me an idea of what you had in mind tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong>Just a quick chapter to get the ball rolling. Please read for your consideration and review promptly. There is no logical reason not to! Also, if you do enjoy, review more, favorite, and spread the AOT:TM WORD! <strong>

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	3. Chapter 3

"Do you want everyone in the school to hate you?"

Shiganshima Diner was the stereotypical grease joint. It was a small building hugging the cracked sidewalk next to a busy highway. The red faux leather of the small booths were starting to come apart at the seams. The rectangular tables seemed to be forever stained with hot grease and dried soda splatter. The linoleum floors covered the diner from the front door to the storage room at the back of the kitchen. A permanent stench of burning beef and syrup erupted the moment a patron would walk inside the warm diner. Yet, it was the one place Eren and Mikasa would always go to after school.

Eren looked up to Mikasa, squinting slightly from the bright lighting above them. "I thought they did."

"Well, Annie and Jean do. For different reasons," Armin said before he sucked into the straw poking through his chocolate milkshake.

"Thanks for the silver lining, Armin," Eren said solemnly as he grabbed a fry from his yellow plate. "Anyway, glad you got in the club, Armin. You can help me out with some things."

"Eren, do you know what you're doing?" Mikasa said without warning.

Eren stared at Mikasa. A few seconds passed by with the accusative eyes of Mikasa and Armin both bearing down on him. "You know, that's a really personal question."

"It's a yes or no."

Eren looked out the window. The cars drove by on the clear, blustery day. The T-shaped intersection the diner was next to appeared to be busy this day as usual. The gas station across the street packed itself with cars and pickup trucks.

A car. Eren wished he had a car. Then he didn't have to look at Mikasa's face now. The kind of face that can see through any lie. Like the one where he says that everything is fine, when in fact, he felt worse than ever.

"Eren? You alive?"

The brunette snapped his attention back to the pair in front of him. "I think this is one of those things you have to play by ear. Like me and Annie." He said.

"You played your relationship with Annie by ear?" Armin asked.

"And that worked so well for you, didn't it?" Mikasa added.

Eren growled. "Can we not talk about my failed relationship anymore. I don't make fun of your lack of relationships, Armin. You two, Mikasa."

The outburst quieted the table. The raking for salted fries and a double cheeseburger on their plates filled the silence they had.

Mikasa kept her gaze below Eren's eyes. She knew she was treading on thin ice. Eren was an explosive person if provoked. She did not want to hurt him anymore than how he felt already.

"So what are you going to do?" She said in a hushed tone.

Eren swallowed his burger. "I'm going to make a play."

"And what is it?"

"Like…what is it about?"

Mikasa nodded.

Eren hemmed and hawed for a few seconds. The blank expressions from Mikasa and Armin filled the silence of clinking glass plates and sizzling beef on the grills.

He coughed. "Well…I'm shuffling through my options."

"Jesus Christ. Eren!" Mikasa said loudly. "You're going to have the entire Drama Club kill you if you can't do this."

"Mikasa," Eren said softly. "It's the Drama Club. They're not exactly the most threatening group in the school."

"Clearly they are, if Marco was killed."

"That has nothing to do with the Club. Unless that gang was apart of the club," Eren said. As he took a bit of his burger, his eyes bulged in revelation. "Now that would make a great play," He said with his mouth full. "The Drama Club that became corrupted by crime. I think Jean would play a good Marco, considering they were lovers."

"No one proved that," Armin said.

"Eren, please. I don't want you hurt." Mikasa said.

Eren furrowed his eyebrows. Once he swallowed, he leaned forward over the grey table. When he reached his arm out, his hands met the warm, soft ones of Miaksa. She gasped quietly when their hands connected.

"Why are you so worried all of a sudden?" Eren asked. "How long have we been brother and sister? Nothing bad has happened up until this point."

'Well, aside from the obvious," Mikasa added.

"Let's not think about that. Look, all I need for tomorrow is a story idea. It's not like I'm writing a whole script overnight. And Armin is the creative one. He can help."

"I never said I would help."

"But you will."

"Yeah."

Eren slide out of the booth. "Good. Let's get out of here."

* * *

><p>"Alright, so I need to be home before eleven, so we need to hurry up."<p>

"Why? It's six."

"I just want to hurry up."

Eren's bedroom was large enough for the boy. He had grown up in it, and it had still given him enough room to live inside. Of course, the color design had changed over the years from the bright yellow of his youth to the dark blue that refelcted his mood. The bed was a solid cerulean color, while the desk in front of the closed window stood with crumpled paper and a laptop sitting on the wood.

Eren groaned as the two sat on his bed with a white legal pad in between them. "Whatever. Okay, so first, we need to figure out the...what's the thing that tells you what kind of play it is?"

Armin tilted his head. "You mean the word 'genre?'"

Eren gasped in recognition. "Exactly. Should it be funny or sad?"

"There's more to genre than that."

"Just in general."

Admin looked down at the blank page in the notebook. "I guess it should be serious, but we can have a funny moment now and then."

"But what kind of humor?"

"I don't know. Maybe some quick one liners."

Eren huffed. "I was thinking dark humor. It's gonna be a gritty play. Maybe we should have a character who tries to take charge and lead a whole group of people. Then, he gives this great speech about everybody coming together to achieve a goal. And then he dies."

Armin paused for a second. "And then he dies?"

Eren nodded.

"That not funny," Armin said.

"Yes it is," Eren whined.

"Eren, is everything okay?"

Eren peered at Armin. He was not oblivious to the tough situation Eren was going through. However, Eren felt even worse than before. There was a tight sense of dread creeping inside his spine every breath he took. What did he have to worry about, anyway? Sure, bad things have happened to him, but he had a house. He had enough money to get by. For Eren, though, material possessions were the last of his worries. Nt only that, but his ability to talk about it was squashed before words escaped his mouth. Why was he so devoid of energy?

He might as well start a square one, and that was in this bedroom.

Eren sighed. "No. I hate everything."

"You hate me and Mikasa?"

Eren rubbed his forehead. "No, I just mean in general. You know about me and Annie."

"Everyone knows about you and Annie," Armin said.

"I guess I just felt really strong about her, and now, it's just over. No big fireworks or anything. It's over. My first real relationship. And this shit with my grades is getting worse. Levi keeps pressuring me to do something in the future."

"And you don't know what to do?"

Eren looked over at the picture sitting on his nightside. Next to his alarm clock was a golden frame with him standing next to Mikasa. He had his arm resting on Armin's lanky shoulders. They were dressed in black protective padding outside of an obstacle course. A long paintball gun rested in Eren's small hands. Mikasa had a softer smile on her face, while Armin seemed flushed and nervous like an agitated deer.

Armin noticed his faraway gaze at the picture and scooted forward over the crinkled blue comforter. "Do you hate Annie?"

Eren leaned back and took a deep breathe. "I guess not. But I wish there was more. I thought there would be more."

"So why are you doing the play?"

"It gives me something to do. And maybe Levi will go a little easier on me. I doubt it, though."

Armin had a flash of sadness cross his concerned face. Simply blocking his emotions and ignoring them would not work. It had not worked in the past with the other issues he had.

Eren noticed the worried look. "Hey," he said. "Don't feel bad for me. We got to figure out this play before tomorrow."

"Right."

Eren smiled.

Armin didn't buy it for a second.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank You for enjoying the story so far. If you have not enjoyed the story, leave a review and chew me out. If you love it, review and gush over it. If your neutral, explain what would make you love it and hate it. <strong>

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	4. The Ball Starts Rolling

The next day, Eren struggled to keep his eyelids open. Then again, that war between slumber and semi-consciousness was a normal affair for the slacker. As the morning wore on, the sun labored to increase the heat surrounding Eren from his seat next to the second floor window.

Biology was always his least favorite subject behind Math and Spanish and History and Literature and school in general.

As lunch approached, Eren looked down at the scribbling on the white paper. After the laborious efforts of him and Armin the night before, Eren was going over the last preparations for Levi's review of the whole idea. For some reason, Eren felt a little more confident about the play than the night before. There was no way Levi could squash it.

He felt more nervous when he actually sat in Levi's small prison called an office. It didn't help that the shorter man's dark eyes were clouded over with apathy and pity.

"Okay, what do you have?"

Eren unzipped his backpack. Digging through the messy bundle of crumpled papers inside, he yanked out his target. He smoothed out the wrinkles on it. Looking up at Levi, he chuckled.

"So, I was up late las-."

"I don't care. What is the play?" Levi said

"It's a musical."

Levi barked out a quick laugh. "Ha! You honestly think we have a budget and the resources for an original musical."

"Yes. We actually do," Eren said emphatically. "Me and Armin crunched up the numbers last night. And we thought that the number of people that would come would increase if we staged a musical instead. And if I'm going to prove to everybody that I'm the best at directing, this has to be it."

"Yeager, no one cares if you're good at it. They only care if they get their money's worth. And that's just the school board. I'm not even talking about the audience yet."

Eren sighed. "Do you want to hear it or not?"

Levi waved him on.

"Okay," Eren said. "So, it's a period piece. It takes place in kind of a fictional medieval Germany. Except, instead of worrying about diseases, the people of this world have to worry about giant man-eating monsters."

"So it's Godzilla."

"No," Eren said quickly. "It's these giant human-like things. Think of a human body turned inside out. That's what it would look like."

"That sounds disgusting."

"But the thing is that this all takes place inside a walled country. There are three walls, and the story is about this guy that's by the outermost wall. So, things are normal until one day the giant things attack the walls keeping them out. Then, th-."

"Okay, but what is it about?"

"I was telling you, but you interrupted me."

Levi rolled his eyes. "No, brat. I mean, what is it about? Themes, ideas, motifs, etcetera."

Eren frowned and looked down at his lap. With the paper in hand, his vision raked the chicken scratch for any answers.

He looked up at Levi. "I guess it's a story about hope and friendship."

Levi raised his eyebrows. "And in what world does man-eating giants equal hope and friendship."

Eren raised the paper and pointed at it. "This one. Can I finish?"

"Sure."

"So, the motivation from the main character is that his mom dies. After that, he goes on his quest with his two best friends to defeat all of the giants."

Levi examined Eren's dull green eyes. For as vibrant as they were, he knew that the parallels to his situation were much to alike. He would have to be extremely stupid to not consider the possibility.

Levi looked at the door to make sure it was closed. With a sigh, Levi shut off his box computer and clasped his hands in front of him. The hum of the machine ceased. All sound came from their breathing and the quiet rumble of walking students and faculty outside.

"Eren, you know what I'm going to ask you next."

Eren sat up straighter. "Look, Levi, I know it seems like I'm making an autobiography, but I'm not. It's just to service the story."

"I've known you for a while now. I know about your situation and the whole nine yards. First, I need to ask you if you really think that the Drama Club would go for something that grim, especially after Marco died so recently."

"And I figured that the empowerment the characters have and the musical numbers would take away from that. It's not like I'm dramatizing anyone's life."

"Well, when I hear 'dead mother' and 'two best friends' in the same sentence, who else would I think about?"

"Harry Potter. Edward Elric. Magneto. I could go on."

Levi shook his head. "I don't know who any of those are. But," Levi said while reaching for the paper. He snatched it from Eren's hands and smoothed it on his smooth desk. "I do know somebody in this room who would fit that description. And my mom is very much alive."

"So it's the lack of friends that's the problem for you?" Eren asked.

Levi sneered at him. "Whatever. The point is that I don't want you to be emotionally scarred by this. Or, if you are emotionally scarred, it should be from the stress of the job. Not the possible flashbacks to tragic times."

Eren looked up at the the ceiling. Of course he did not want to think about what happened. Nobody would want to. Even if his father knew what was in the musical, he might try to put a stop to it. But it had been roughly six years. It was time to move on and use the experience for one reason or another, and that reason would be to help the Drama Club, not for crying in bed again.

"I can do it."

Levi tapped on the paper. "If you can cast and write this thing up before the Thanksgiving Break, we should be fine."

"What about the play dates?"

"That could be anytime between Christmas and the end of the year. As long as the school knows you brats are doing something and making progress. As far as I'm concerned, I'd much rather not deal with it. So, I'm placing all of this on your shoulders."

"You want me to hold the auditions and everything?"

"You write it? You make it." Levi said with a tone of finality.

Eren smirked. "You think I can't do it."

Levi scoffed. "It's not what I think. It's what they think."

* * *

><p><strong>Please review as always and let me know what you think. It is crucial to the success of the story!<strong>


	5. Headphone Connections

"He approved it?"

Eren's arms rested on the sticky oiled surface of the wooden table resting in his dining room. His hand clutched the small juice box he sipped from periodically. The fan wafted the warm air of the late autumn day. Outside, the sun set and shone on the black-framed mirror in the room, contrasting with the periwinkle walls. Meanwhile, a large stereo sitting in the corner of the kitchen doorway and the mirror vibrated with the soft sound of Nat King Cole's "Love" thumping through the air.

"It was less approving and more just-get-the-fuck-out-of-here-and-do-whatever. Point is, we have to jump on this ball."

Armin ran his hands through his straight blonde hair. The younger teenager sighed before looking back up at his brunette companion. "And how do we start?"

"Auditions."

Armin gasped. "But we just got the club together."

"And I say that they need to audition again!" Eren said before he took another sip from the juicebox. The straw gargled with the remaining drops of the apple juice left. Eren crushed the container in his hand like a stress ball.

"So what are you gonna do? The club meets three days a week starting the day after tomorrow. Are you seriously going to waltz in and announce you're the leader like a dictator?"

"Listen. I don't know shit about acting. And working with Annie is the last thing I want to do. But Levi is going to ride me through the whole year f I don't do this. That, and I kind of need something extra after the accident."

A small blush formed on Armin's face. "So, what are you gonna do about her?"

"Annie? I have a special part planned for her."

"Just don't get carried away with any revenge. It's not healthy."

Eren grimaced and looked down at his grip. "Neither was this juice box. But I drank from it anyway."

"Okay. I did not need that image in my head."

Eren tilted his head and leaned back in his wooden chair. "What image?"

"Of you drinking Annie."

Eren smirked. "Wouldn't it be the other way around."

Armin stammered. "Stop it. And can we turn the music on something elsse."

Eren looked at the stereo. The song rolled through the room like the small breeze of the fan dangling overhead. "Why? I like this."

"You only play this song when you're angry and trying to calm down."

Eren grunted. "I'm not angry, Armin. And since when does my taste in music reflect my emotions?"

"Since you've played nothing but oldies since you and Annie bro-."

"Oh, look. It's Mikasa."

Armin turned around towards the opening to the long hallway. "I don't see anyone."

When he turned around, Eren had hopped out of his seat and rushed towards the foyer. Stomping feet climbed up the wooden steps, leaving Armin to stare at the blue wall in front of him.

Eren strut through the mirror doors of the large high school. The students buzzed around the long hallway from person to tall green lockers that lined the walls. Eren's black shoes squeaked on top of the finished wooden floor that shone underneath the overhead recess lighting. As he walked briskly past the short glances and whispered mentions of his name, his vision centered around his locker.

Dumping his unused textbooks into his locker, he looked at the mirror hanging inside. Some called it girly, but he needed to look his best for the meeting. Making sure his brown hair was perfectly mussed up, he blew a quick kiss to the reflection.

He slammed the locker.

And he noticed a shorter girl with blonde hair and headphones plugged into her phone. She had walked out into the hallway, and she started to walk in his direction.

Eren whipped his phone out of his pocket and looked down at it. He moved his fingers in a fevourish flickering, attempting to distract himself from the girl.

A few seconds inched past him. He let out an audible sigh of relief.

"You know, texting only works if the screen is on."

Eren yelped and turned around. Annie smirked at his shock. Her pale blue eyes had a small inkling of content over her stealth. She smelled nice that day. It was that special perfume she had gotten. Eren could not remember the name.

Just like that, she marched onward.

Eren looked down at his idle phone. A few onlookers noticed his tensed presence from his cry of surprise. With a sweep of the hallway, Eren spun around and rushed towards his class. Nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. The green trashcans were still clogged with gum wrappers and what he could only assume were burnt cigarettes and condom wrappers. The white brick walls mimicked the inside of a prison accompanied by the similar noise of cursing and gossiping. Sports posters hung on the walls.

Eren sneered at one in particular. It was for the football team. It had a picture of fans in the bleachers, all of them wearing the green and silver colors of the Titans.

Green. That was the color of the headphones Annie wore.

* * *

><p><strong><em>About One Year Earlier<em>**

Football practice had been a little easier the day before the first game of the season. Eren had rarely been as excited then as he had been in his short life. The students at the school were filing into the building. Most of them wore the school colors and ensign on their shirts, hoodies, and matching hats.

"Just smell it, Armin. For twenty four hours, the entire school loves each other. We wear the same stuff, eat the same cafeteria shit, and cheer on the same running back."

"Just the running back?" Armin asked.

Eren gasped in mock shock. "The running back is the most important part of the team."

"Which is why you're the running back."

"Exactly. I'm feeling two touchdowns today. What do you think?" Eren asked as the walked around the track. Being the end of the day, Eren hung around before the team suited up for later that night.

"I mean, if Reiner will give you the ball."

"Psh. He'll give it to me. Why wouldn't he?"

As they kept walking, Eren noticed a figure by the tree on the knoll. It was a faint figure, but as they traversed around the track, he noticed a lithe girl sitting underneath the shade from the darkening sun. She had on a small frown as she looked at the book below her. Her blonde hair was wrapped in a short ponytail with slight gust of wind blowing the front strands over her eyes.

Eren squinted at the girl. He walked towards the fence separating the track and the grass. Leaning on it, he felt a small tinge of curiosity in his chest. The girl, certainly attractive, had not only isolated herself, but had never been seen by Eren before. While he was only a junior, being the starting running back would bring some notoriety. He was surprised he saw a new face at all, let alone one as cute as hers.

"Whose that girl?" Eren said qoetly.

Armin stopped next to him. "New girl. She came in yesterday. She's in my math class. Her name is Annie."

Annie stayed oblivious to the two males looking at her. She continued to examine her book.

"What is she like?"

Armin shrugged. "I don't know. She wears those headphones a lot. Really loud music, too."

Eren looked at Armin. "Like what?"

"Why?"

"You can tell a lot about a person by what music they listen to. So what was it?" Eren whispered quickly.

"I don't know. It sounded kind of like some sad guitar song. The guy had kind of rough voice."

"What was it?" Eren pressed on.

"Calm down. I'm trying. Something about two souls in a fishbowl. It sounded really quiet. Oh, wait. It said something like 'Wish you were here.'"

Eren's face brightened up. "'Wish You Were Here.' Armin, that's Pink Floyd. It's Pink Floyd!" He said with a large grin. Then, he looked back at the girl.

"Is that like a dealbreaker to you?" Armin asked.

"Just the opposite. I'm going to say something to her. Stay here, but don't look like you're waiting for me." Eren opened the gate and crossed over towards the grass.

"But I am."

Eren stopped and looked back at Armin. "I don't know. Straighten your hair or play with a protractor or something. Just don't look like you're spying. But do that so I can get a second opinion."

Armin panicked. "But you said you wanted me t-."

Eren took a finger and put it to his lips. Then, he turned towards the unsuspecting girl. Eren had never been nervous when interacting with new people. If he wanted people to like him, he had to make a good first impression. He had a small bounce to his walk as he went across the grass.

He stopped a few feet away from her at the edge of the shade and the sunshine. She kept her eyes locked on the book. It was a large yellow book. There was a picture of a cartoon man kicking a block of wood on the cover. It was a self-defense manual of some sort.

Eren took one slow step forward and cleared his throat. The silence stood between them like a brick wall.

"If you want something, you should just ask," She said.

"Huh?"

She took off her headphones and looked up at the boy. Her large blue eyes bore into his green ones while she wore an apathetic expression. "I said, if you want something, you should ask."

Eren shook his head. "No, I don't need anything."

They stared at each other. A bird zoomed out of the top of the tree and whistled through the air. The two teenagers continued to examine each other. Eren was already starting to feel his nerves unravel.

"What is it?" She said.

Eren cleared his throat. "Oh! Well, It's just that I saw you were here. I usually sit around here a lot."

She grabbed the thick book from her lap and stood up. She reached Eren's nose-level in height. "Am I in your way?"

Eren chuckled. "No. I wasn't going to sit here right now. It's just weird to see someone else."

Annie raised an eyebrow. "Right."

"What's your name?"

"You want to know my name?"

Eren nodded.

The shorter girl sighed and brushed her thick blonde hair behind her ears. "I'm Annie. Aren't you that football player?"

He smiled. "Yeah. I'm Eren. I'm the running back. I was just getting ready for the game. I like walking around by myself before the game happens."

"So who was that guy you were around," Annie asked while nodding towards the track.

Eren turned and saw Armin walking in small circles around the fence.

"I tell him to do one thing," he whispered to himself. Turning back to Annie, he grinned. "That's my friend, Armin. I think he's in a lot of your classes."

"Yeah. So…what exactly are you doing?"

Eren stammered. "Wh-what do you mean? Like tonight or tomorrow?"

"No, I mean, right now. If you're not going to sit here, then why are you talking to me?"

Eren coughed while he tried to rack the right words in his hormone-addled brain. He scratched the top of his head and put on another nervous grin. "It's just that I saw you here, and it's not everyday I see somebody new here. It's tough when you have to see the same four hundred people everyday, you know what I mean?"

Annie stared at him with an annoyed expression. Eren almost shivered from the blank look. Then, she took a deep breathe. "Listen. I don't know what you're trying to do here. If you're flirting with me or making fun of me or whatever. But I wa-."

"Oh no," Eren said a little to loudly. "Nothing like that. I'm not flirting. I mean, you look great. Objectively, that's what I'm saying. Not personally. But objectively, you are attractive, and it's weird to see someone else out here."

Annie kept looking at him with no emotion crossing her deep stare.

Eren felt his face flush slightly. "What I mean is that…I don't know you, and you don't know me. So I thought that I'd come over and change that."

"So you are flirting with me?"

"No. I mean, I could if you wanted me to," Eren said. "But you just looked interesting."

"But an attractive interesting."

"Yeah. I mean, no. Wait. Yes?" Eren asked with a small grimace.

Annie crossed her arms. "So…you just wanted to know who I was?"

Eren smiled, trying to save face. "Yup."

She nodded. "Well, I'm Annie. And I have a meeting to go to. I'll see you at the football game or whenever."

She turned around and headed for the fence. Eren looked at her back as she trudged through the tall grass towards the cold metal of the fence. Armin, not noticing Annie, yelped in surprise as the gate squeaked open. He briskly walked away from the fence while Annie exited onto the track. Without sparing another glance, she crossed the football field.

Eren broke out of his reverie and rushed to Armin. The blonde haired boy leaned on the fence and looked out towards the school which was hiding the setting sun. "So, how'd it go?"

Eren leaned back on the fence as well. "Well, she doesn't seem to hate me. I mean, she isn't hopping on my dick or anything like that, but I know her name now."

Armin nodded. "So it's a success when she is hopping on you-."

"Let's not talk about it right now." Eren said. "I need to get ready for the game anyway."

"I thought that's what you were doing now. You know by yourself with n friends."

Eren looked over at a frowning Armin. "You heard that, huh?"

He nodded, but Eren did not care about that. Honestly, he did not think he could think clearly about anything until he saw that mysterious girl again.

* * *

><p>Eren stood in front of the double doors into the auditorium, where the initial club meeting was going to take place. Feeling the wooden double doors, he looked down at the tile floor with a melancholic slump of his shoulders.<p>

How long would he still be in this sad phase of nothingness that strangled him like necklace he kept underneath his shirt?

Now, he would have to face Annie even more than before. She was a sign of his failure and his loss or something stupid that just ate away at his nerves. He had to transform into another person yet again for the club. Nobody would follow a sad sap, even if that is what he felt like.

With a small sigh, Eren adjusted his wild hair and burst through the doors.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for your patience. s always, leave a review as soon as you can. They are free, and you can take out your daily frustrations on the story. Or yu could show your appreciation. I guess you could flip a coin on that one of you must.<strong>

**See you later!**


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